By far, my favorite song that I learned this weekend was "I Themba Lami," very simple but beautiful nonetheless. Here's a recording of it (another group is singing it - we didn't have time to record anything yesterday). The lyrics are:
I themba lami ndonyuka nalo
Ma ndi ngene endumisweni
or, in English I will go with my faith when I go unto Heaven
South African Singing and Dancing
This weekend, I did a South African song and dance workshop with my favorite choir, Village Harmony (I sang with them for 6 years). It was so wonderful to see old friends from my VH days. I learned some awesome songs and sure got a workout by dancing during the 8-hour workshop plus performing a couple of the songs in concert that night! I even learned a song in Xhosa (the language with clicking sounds in it).
I also went to an amazing place for lunch - a Persian restaurant called, of all things, Moby Dick. I had fezanjan (a stew made from pomegranate, walnuts, and chicken) and homemade lemonade with rosewater. It was out-of-this-world good and cheap to boot.
The concert went really well - the workshop people performed a couple songs and VH did the rest. They did a great job and I was reminded of how much I miss VH and I remembered how much I love shape-note music, bulgarian folk music, and south african music.
I also went to an amazing place for lunch - a Persian restaurant called, of all things, Moby Dick. I had fezanjan (a stew made from pomegranate, walnuts, and chicken) and homemade lemonade with rosewater. It was out-of-this-world good and cheap to boot.
The concert went really well - the workshop people performed a couple songs and VH did the rest. They did a great job and I was reminded of how much I miss VH and I remembered how much I love shape-note music, bulgarian folk music, and south african music.
Breaking News (and a prayer request)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Just a few minutes ago, I heard a HUGE crash, the kind of crash where you know instantly that it's an automobile accident. I ducked my head out the window and saw a car stopped in the intersection with its rear bumper hanging off....but no other car near it. That's when I noticed what looked like a pair of legs sticking out from behind the car.
I grabbed the portable phone and dialed 911 as fast as I could, then ran out the door and downstairs to see if I could help. I was shaking and sobbing as I talked to the 911 operator and when I got outside I feared the worst....all I could see was his body and what looked like a pool of blood draining into the manhole cover (fortunately, it was not blood but the red light from the car that had broken off and was lying near him). I felt like I was going to throw up and I was crying and shaking like crazy.
Fortunately, there was an EMT who happened to be nearby and got there within seconds. The police arrived in only a few minutes (the benefit of living in a big city and having the main police station AND fire station less than a mile away) and as the EMT's started taking care of the man it was clear that he was still conscious and very aware of his surroundings and he could also move his hands and feet.
I think (I hope!) that he'll be ok, but he was so incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse. His helmet landed a good 25 feet away and I think he may have been thrown a few feet. He was traveling in a motorcycle and had very little protection against a large moving vehicle.
So please, join me today in prayer for this man who is only 23 and who is pretty banged up. I'd also like to ask you to pray (as I will) for the woman who was driving the car. Physically, she is ok, but she must be incredibly traumatized by this event.
If any good can come from this event, please let it be that the city officials make that intersection safer. It's in a quiet residential area (speed limit 30 mph) and has one of those blinking yellow and red lights, but despite this it has a really bad track record. Before they put that light in, my neighbor says there were accidents there at least once a month. After they put that light in, there are still accidents (though there are less). It's near a school and I have seen a child get hit by a car there a few years back. My mother was in a car accident in that intersection during one very icy winter. The city needs to do something to make it safer before anyone else gets hurt. Be it video cameras, sleeping policemen, or a red-yellow-green stoplight, something must be done!
I grabbed the portable phone and dialed 911 as fast as I could, then ran out the door and downstairs to see if I could help. I was shaking and sobbing as I talked to the 911 operator and when I got outside I feared the worst....all I could see was his body and what looked like a pool of blood draining into the manhole cover (fortunately, it was not blood but the red light from the car that had broken off and was lying near him). I felt like I was going to throw up and I was crying and shaking like crazy.
Fortunately, there was an EMT who happened to be nearby and got there within seconds. The police arrived in only a few minutes (the benefit of living in a big city and having the main police station AND fire station less than a mile away) and as the EMT's started taking care of the man it was clear that he was still conscious and very aware of his surroundings and he could also move his hands and feet.
I think (I hope!) that he'll be ok, but he was so incredibly lucky that it wasn't worse. His helmet landed a good 25 feet away and I think he may have been thrown a few feet. He was traveling in a motorcycle and had very little protection against a large moving vehicle.
So please, join me today in prayer for this man who is only 23 and who is pretty banged up. I'd also like to ask you to pray (as I will) for the woman who was driving the car. Physically, she is ok, but she must be incredibly traumatized by this event.
If any good can come from this event, please let it be that the city officials make that intersection safer. It's in a quiet residential area (speed limit 30 mph) and has one of those blinking yellow and red lights, but despite this it has a really bad track record. Before they put that light in, my neighbor says there were accidents there at least once a month. After they put that light in, there are still accidents (though there are less). It's near a school and I have seen a child get hit by a car there a few years back. My mother was in a car accident in that intersection during one very icy winter. The city needs to do something to make it safer before anyone else gets hurt. Be it video cameras, sleeping policemen, or a red-yellow-green stoplight, something must be done!
Hi again!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while - I've been so busy these past few weeks applying for jobs. It's so hard to find jobs that I'm qualified for and would earn enough money to pay off my loans/save up for grad school. It's rather depressing - right now, there are so few jobs out there that I'm having to compete with people who have MBA's for even the most basic of office/secretarial jobs. I've applied for 10 or so jobs and not a single person has called me for an interview. Sigh.
Weight Loss Blog
Sunday, July 5, 2009
I've embarked on a healthy eating/diet program and I am going to be chronicling my weight loss journey on this blog. Check it out!
http://eatyourpeasdear.blogspot.com/
http://eatyourpeasdear.blogspot.com/
Happy 4th of July!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July everyone! I just got back from watching the fireworks over the Charles River in Boston. They were pretty spectacular, though not quite as crazy as the ones a few years back...the fireworks back then were in the shapes of smiley faces, peace signs, flowers, and even a couple of E = MC^2 equations! Hey, we're right next to MIT, so it made sense. This year, the fireworks were huge, but kept to the more traditional shapes. They had some pretty cool white, comet-shaped fireworks that stayed in the air, just hovering for a minute or so, and a huge golden one that looked like a weeping willow.
I also got a lot done today cooking-wise...I went down to the local farmer's market in the morning, then spent the afternoon cooking. I made pickles for the first time as well as garlic scape pesto.
I also got a lot done today cooking-wise...I went down to the local farmer's market in the morning, then spent the afternoon cooking. I made pickles for the first time as well as garlic scape pesto.
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